Police in India's Jharkhand fire tear gas, use batons to disperse youth protesters

Police in eastern India's Jharkhand state employed tear gas, batons, and water cannons on Monday to disperse thousands of youth protesters marching towards the state legislature in Ranchi. The demonstrators, primarily students and unemployed youth, had been protesting for several weeks over alleged misconduct in civil service examinations, including the leak of recruitment test papers.

This protest followed weeks of similar demonstrations in the capital, Delhi, which also stemmed from exam paper leaks and ultimately resulted in the resignation of the Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan.

Similar to the protests in Delhi, the Jharkhand youth protesters faced a harsh response from police and paramilitary forces with the use of tear gas, pellet guns, and batons. Some 50,000 youth protesters in Delhi were dispersed using these forceful tactics, with clashes occurring between the demonstrators and police.

In Jharkhand, the protesters are demanding a comprehensive overhaul of the state's examination system, cancellation of some of the tests, and an investigation by the federal police. Protests began on July 25 and escalated after thousands gathered at a stadium in the state capital, Ranchi. On Monday, demonstrators stormed the state legislature, climbing over police barricades, holding placards, waving the national flag, and shouting slogans.

Despite the unrest, police chief Paras Rana of Ranchi stated that they had only used minimal force against some violent protesters, urging the crowd to remain peaceful and avoid further aggression. The state government, a regional party opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been in negotiations with the protesters, claiming that a majority of their demands have been accepted and that they remain open to further discussions.